A Giant Saved Me
by Ramora
Summary: Hedwig, then a nameless owl, lived at Eeylops Owl Imporium a month before Hagrid purchased her. She had come from a wealthy breeder's house and only wanted to be loved. Well, today is her lucky day. The day a giant saved her.


The shop was dark and musty. Owl feathers were floating through the air joined, by their former owner's hoots.   
  
A female snowy owl had been delivered earlier that month from a wealthy breeder's house. After the second day, her cage was nudged to the back to make room for a dozen minute owls. She had screeched loudly in protest, but to no avail.   
  
Owl minutes were 'in', and she was shunted to live with the regular tawny and brown species. Her beak turned up in disgust when they stole glances in her direction, but she learned quickly to make acquaintances with the fellow caged creatures.  
  
She missed her old home, being unique, and being loved. Here the only human contact made was when Thomas, the young wizard that worked morning shift, shoved dead rats through her small wire door. Occasionally he would give her a pat on the head, but she longed for human conversation or a more prolonged stroke of her wings.  
  
A little bell rang loudly as the shop's door opened slightly. A young girl walked in, carrying a modest pewter grey cauldron. Her eyes scanned the hundreds of owls who had started to go insane with noise. The lone snowy owl turned her back to the newcomer. She would not lower herself to the level of wild noises to capture a human's attention.   
  
Her head turned when the girl walked past, the faint hope that maybe she would be picked; but the girl kept on walking. The female bird's eyes narrowed and her beak clucked in aggravation. She was only one of five snowy owls in the shop, yet the customers always went instinctively to the large, plain barn owls.  
  
Children enjoyed examining the folded wingspan of the much bigger white owls, but their pleas to purchase one were always shot down.  
  
"Mum, can I have one of those white owls?" a young child would ask.  
  
The mother would shake her head in disapproval and reply, "They're too large, we would have no place to keep her."  
  
The juvenile's cries were short, their attention would give in to the elegant displays of other owls and they would quickly become occupied with studying another creature to buy.  
  
For that reason only, the snowy owls were a bitter bunch. Many potential clientele, that could comfortably accommodate their size, took this trait among these feathered creatures as one of snootiness, and would pass them up as well.   
  
But today was her lucky day. Following the girl was a man. A giant. His thick, curled beard tumbled down his chest and blended in with the tattered moleskin overcoat he wore on his large frame. His voice boomed over the hooting of the owls, quickly quieting them in awed silence.   
  
"Can I help you, sir?" said Ophelia, the witch on shift, in a bored tone. Her chair was still resting on its hind legs, a half open book settled on her lap.  
  
"I'm lookin' fer an owl fer young Harry Potter," he replied.  
  
Ophelia who had thus far been ignoring the gentle giant toppled out of her seat.  
  
"Harry P-potter?" she stuttered.   
  
Her miniature hand dismissed his much larger hand when he tried to help her. Ophelia's voice took on a tone of professionalism that hadn't been there before.   
  
"Well..." she paused, giving the man a questioning look.  
  
"Hagrid, Rubeus Hagrid," he filled in.  
  
She continued, "Hagrid. We've got a lovely variety of tawny owls that just arrived from China this morning."  
  
She directed this giant, Hagrid, he had said his name was, to a group of male tawny owls that puffed their chests in pride. Hagrid looked them over then shook his head.  
  
"Nah, 'Arry probably wants one with less, well, ego."  
  
The owls shrunk in dismay and Ophelia and the large man continued on.  
  
"We've also got a huge selection of minute owls, they're extremely popular right now," she concluded.  
  
They'd stopped in front of ten cages, each holding ten hyperactively zooming minute owls, all hooting happily at him. Hagrid shook his head again.  
  
"Happy little blighters," he commented. "But I think summat bigger'll do nicely."  
  
At this Ophelia nodded and they began to walk toward the female snowy owl's cage. Were they coming for her? Would she finally be let free of her prison and loved by a human? Was this man even human at all?  
  
"Snowy owls are on of the largest owls in existence," began Ophelia. She herself preferred the 'little blighters' as Hagrid had called them, and would have been extremely pleased to see one of the less popular white owls sold. "They're extremely smart and I haven't yet heard of one misdelivering a parcel or letter."  
  
Hagrid's face loomed closer to the cage. His breathe smelled of liquor but his eyes looked kind. The bird scooted to the edge of the wiring, as one enormous finger popped itself between the bars to stroke her feathers.  
  
"Think I like this 'un here," announced Hagrid.  
  
Ophelia smiled. She started for the owl's cage but Hagrid had grabbed onto it first, swinging it ferociously until he realised the force of his moving arms.  
  
" 'Ow much do yeh want fer her?" Hagrid asked.  
  
Ophelia skimmed the list of prices for each species of owl then said, "Five galleons. A bit of a mark down since she's been here awhile."  
  
Hagrid dug around in one of the many pockets of his coat, fishing around for his money while commenting, "Don' know why, she's a beaut'ful creature." At this he smiled a toothy grin, half concealed by hair, then plopped five gold coins onto the counter.  
  
"Have a nice day, sir," called Ophelia, as Hagrid left the shop.  
  
The owl squinted her eyes at the unanticipated flood of light. Sun! She could see the gorgeous sun. And there were so many people. So many humans that had walked past her everyday without her even knowing. Without warning she hooted happily at all the noise surrounding her. It had happened at long last. She was going to have someone to love her. 


End file.
